


i've got this friend

by 80slieberher



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: M/M, asking stan on a date uwuwuwu, friends to lovers sORTa, richie is funny, stan is also kind of stupid, theyre all dumb gays ok, this is based off a song, total bi dumbass, uwu mutual pining sort of, we love soft dumbass bill, yuuhhhh bill is an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 21:11:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14028825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/80slieberher/pseuds/80slieberher
Summary: Bill doesn’t know how to tell Stan he likes him. (this is based off of the old-ass, unreleased song ‘I’ve Got This Friend’ by 5 Seconds of Summer.)





	i've got this friend

“St-Stan!” Bill called, dashing out of his classroom, still closing the journal he had filled with doodles of the boy he was speeding toward instead of pre-calc notes. “Ca-han I have a minute?” He breathed, trying to calm himself down now that he was stood in front of Stan at his locker. Stan gave him a funny look. “I have to t-tuh-tuh-tell you something.”

“Okay,” Stan half-laughed, but kept up the inside, funny look on his face. Bill imagined he looked like a mess, his face was probably red from running just to catch Stan alone and in between periods, and he probably looked like an idiot the way he was stuttering so much.

Bill had recently decided last period, while drawing the loops of Stan’s curls on the blue lines of composition notebook paper, that he would finally ask Stan on a date. After all, it’s only been, what? Three years of his crush? Everybody knew it was about time. Except for Stan, apparently. They could talk every day, which they did, and he would never show any sign of having a clue. Sometimes Bill thanked his lucky stars for that, other times it made him want to scream.

“Bill? What is it?” Stan cocked his head and knitted his eyebrows up, waving his hand in front of Bill’s face and holding his books with the other. Bill shook his head, blinking, and brought his attention to the shorter boy in front of him.

“I- I heard that suh-ssuhh-homeone likes you,” He managed to blurt, though it wasn’t really what he was going for.

“Really?!” Stan’s mouth opened into a smile and his eyes grew. “Who?” He began to look around the hallway, moving beautiful curls away from his eyes before Bill swiftly stopped him.

“Uh, don’t luh-look now! He’s look-k-king!” He put his hands up go halt Stan, who looked back at him with an innocent face.

“Who is it?” He asked, bright and curious. Bill didn’t think telling Stan someone had a crush on him would have this effect on him, he was surprised, to be honest. But delightfully so, as he’d never pass up a chance to see Stan smile.

“I c-c-can’t tell you, uh, it m-might be nothing, but-,”

“What does he look like?” Stan pressed, interrupting.

“Uh, I th-think you know him. He’s kuh-kinda my s-sss-hize,” Bill fumbled, trying to fabricate a lie off the top of his head, but Stan was looking around again. “Huh-hey! I said d-don’t look, he m-m-might be looking!”

“But I wanna know who it is,” Stan furrowed his eyebrows and huffed, clearly frustrated with Bill keeping secrets. If only he knew.

“All y-you need to know is,” Bill sighed, “He’s b-bah-hasically right in front of you.”

A second before the words could fully finish leaving Bill’s lips, the third period bell was ringing and Stan was shooting him an apologetic look for cutting their conversation short before hurrying off to class. Bill knew he hated being late.

Bill didn’t mind it so much, though, as he waltzed in ten minutes late to lunch two periods later. His last teacher had held him after class for doodling during the lesson, but it was worth it, because he got some really great sketches of Stan down - Stan who was motioning Bill to sit next to him now at their usual table with the rest of their friends. He gladly took the invitation.

“What held you up this time, Big Bill?” Beverly quirked her eyebrows, looking up from her bag of chips.

“Doodling in class again,” Richie answered for him, “Hey, why don’t you show us some of those-,” He went to tease Bill, but Eddie elbowed him in the side and caused him to let out an exaggerated yelp of pain.

“Beep beep, that’s private stuff, asshole,” He rolled his eyes and gave Bill a sympathetic look while Richie yammered on with his theatrics.

“Oh, Eddie Spaghetti, the wounds you inflict to me physically do not compare to the flame that burns in my heart for you!”

Eddie rolled his eyes.

He was the first person to know about Bill’s crush on Stan. They were 14, well, Bill was, Eddie was still 13, and they sat on the floor of Eddie’s room one day after school doing homework. Telling Eddie was as easy as breathing, confiding in someone so brotherly was second nature to Bill, and it was relieving to say it out loud.

“I luh-like Stan,” He’d blurted, “Like- I luh-luh- _like_  like him.”

“That’s cool,” Eddie’d shrugged, (Bill hadn’t known it at the time, but Eddie was hiding feelings of his own for another certain someone of their friendgroup.) “What did you get for thirty? I got two hundred and six.”

Bill’s cheeks were flushed red at Richie nearly putting him on the spot like that, and he quickly took his seat.

“So,” Mike started instead, and his next words indicated the group was not yet done with Bill and Eddie was apparently the only one taking pity on him. Damn his friends. “Stan was telling us you told him you heard someone likes him. We wanna know more about this  _someone_.”

Bill shot them all look as Stan agreed enthusiastically. “I would also like to know more about him.”

His smile made Bill’s heart flutter, and the fumbled his speech. “Wuh-well basically I, uh, I’ve guh-got this friend,” He began, “And he’s keh-kuh-kind of crazy about you, S-SSStan,” He tried to hold back the pinkness of his cheeks. “You’ve been t-t-talking to him nuh-hearly every day, ah-ah-and he th-th-thinks he can’t lih-h-ive without you, sometimes,” He confessed, though not as himself, but still confessed enough for him to be embarrassed. “He toh-hold me to tell you to see what yuh-you’d say,” Bill looked away from Stan’s intent, wide eyes and finally at all of his friends, who all sat leaned in and listening to him, “Bef-fore he jumps in and he ah-asks for a date.”

There was an inaudible understanding among them, each of them nodding and their mouths falling into ‘O’ shapes. Bill was sure they got the point by then. They knew who he was talking about.

Bill just wished he could see how this would end if Stan did, too.

He gave his friends a sheepish smile, and Ben looked at him with puppy dog eyes that read, “That’s so sweet!” while Bev looked at him with squinted ones that read only disapproval.  _You need to tell him it’s_ you _, dumbass._  He could already hear it ringing in his ears.

“How am I supposed to say yes if you don’t tell me what he’s like?” Stan, on the other hand, was completely serious, and even the little hint of his sarcasm made Bill want to smile until he remembered the situation he was in.

“Theh-There’s something I have to t-teh-hell you,” Bill felt his friends lean in closer, effectively making him more nervous than he already was, and spit out another stupid thing. Of course. “He really luh-likes to draw,” The Losers drew back after realizing he was simply going to continue his lie, and he continued. “He th-th-thinks you’d like him better ih-hi-hif he had a car-,”

Mike chimed in before Bill could finish. “Seriously, Stan, he’s like right in front of you.”

Bill shot him the same warning type of look he sent all of them moments earlier, but Stan looked to Mike confused. “You know who it is?”

“Er,” Mike hesitated, “He’s my friend, too.”

“Do all of you know who it is?” Stan turned to the rest of them and squinted. They nodded and he frowned, turning back to Bill. “So everyone knows but me, then?” He raised his eyebrows expectantly.

“I duh-didn’t know that the-hey did,” Bill tried to excuse, though it was an obvious lie this time.

Stan sighed. “So none of you are going to tell me?” He looked back to everyone.

“Bill might give in if you play your cards right, Stanny boy,” Richie winked, and Eddie shoved him again. “Ow!”

Stan looked back to Bill, looking displeased. “Can I come over later?”

Bill nodded, his mouth hanging open in a small ‘o’ shape, and he watched Stan grab up his things and walk away from the table. Bill wished he could read his mind.

“So when are you going to tell him?” Ben looked at Bill with wide eyes, “You’re going to tell him, right?”

“Y-yeah,” Bill was distracted, looking after Stan as he pushed open the cafeteria doors and exited, black backpack hung evenly over both shoulders, his hands on the straps. Bill thought it was cute he still did that. “I’ll t-tuh-hell him, eventually.”

Eddie groaned. “Bill, I’m all for you taking your time, but I’m tired of hearing you wax poetic about Stan’s eyes and your unrequited love whenever we hang out. It’s been three years, we’re all begging you,  _make a move_  already.”

Bill’s face flushed red and his cheeks warmed at Eddie’s words. “Ok-kay! I- I’ll tell hih-him… Soon?” He tried appeasing them.

“Tonight,” Beverly put down her sandwich and commanded him, “He just asked to come over after school. Tell him then.”

“I c-can’t! That’s wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh- _way_  too soon!”

“You tell him or we do,” Richie shrugged, “I’ve been telling you for months that he’d like you back if you asked him - but do you listen to Stan’s Best Friend? Of course not, stupid boy!” He transitioned into some sort of military colonel accent as he scolded Bill, provoking an eye roll.

“Just tell him tonight,” Ben smiled at Bill, “If it goes badly you can tell us you knew all along.”

“Alright,” Bill agreed, nodding and looking at his hands. They were gray with graphite on the sides from moving over his drawings. “T-tonight.”

Richie whooped and made a joke about using protection while everyone else simply smiled, and Bill smiled softly, too.

There were knots in Bill’s stomach as he rode his bike home, Stan riding beside him in silence. It was chilly for spring, and he mentally counted the days until he’d have enough money to make a down payment on any used car. Maybe that’s what he was waiting for to tell Stan, a car to really seal the deal. He humored himself with the thought.

He parked the bike and let it drop in his front yard as he got off of it, waiting patiently for Stan to prop his up on his kickstand before walking to the door and unlocking it.

“So what-huh-what did you want to come over f-f-for?” Bill kicked off his shoes and tried to seem as casual as possible, taking a seat on the couch. Stan followed suit, sitting close but not close enough.

“I have to tell you something,” Stan heaved in a breath, and Bill tried not to panic.  _It’s not like he knows, you were so careful, he can’t possibly know it’s you._  “It’s about what you told me this morning.”

Bill nodded, waiting for him to go on, and putting on his best poker face.

“This… Friend, or whoever it is,” Stan went on, and Bill noted his purposeful lack of eye contact as he watched Stan opt to look around the room, “I think you should tell them I’m not interested.”

Bill’s heart sank in his chest, but he didn’t say anything dumb like he thought he might. “Oh, uh, whuh-why do you say that?”

“I can’t tell you,” Stan sighed, looking down at the hands that rested in his lap now. “Okay?”

But it wasn’t okay.

“I ha-have to tell you someth-thuh-thing, too, then, if I already know my answer,” Bill took a deep breath and felt cool air enter his throat and tried to calm his racing heart. He tried his best to make eye contact. “I’m that friend.”

Stan looked confused, and he seemed to blurt, “What?” Before really thinking about what Bill said.

“I’m that fruh-friend. That’s crah-hazy about you,” Bill half-laughed, “We t-t-talk nearly every day, I ruh-really like to draw, I’ve buh-when saving up for a car, I’ve b-been in fuh-front of you the whole tuh-hime,” He continued, and watch Stan blushed and look at him with an slightly open mouth. “I’ve been thuh-that friend, I wah-wanted to see what you’d say, it was puh-puh-pretty stupid.”

“Christ, Bill,” Stan mumbled, “Yeah, that was stupid.”

Bill looked at his hands, cheeks redder than tomatoes by now most likely. “Yeah, I kn-knuh-know, but I fuh-fuh-figured you duh-heserved to know, even if you duh-don’t feel the s-s-ame.”

Stan looked confused. “What makes you say that?”

“Uh,” Bill quirked his eyebrow up, “You juh-just said you weren’t.”

“I didn’t know you were your friend,” Stan mumbled, and suddenly Bill had to bite back a smile, “You’re so dumb, I didn’t want to be an ass and like you while someone else liked me, you ass.” His shoulders shook with a small laugh, and Bill did the same.

“I’ll gl-gladly be dumb any day of the wuh-week if you’ll say yes to me ah-hasking you on a date.”

“Then you’re an idiot.”

“Good.”


End file.
